Scott Tilgham, analyst for Caris & Co., said it was likely that "if stores here or internationally are being closed, then positions are being eliminated." But he said the company might also rely on the natural attrition of retail workers.

Staples, an office supply chain that sells computers as well as printers and copy machines, is based in Framingham, Mass., and will have 1,871 stores in the United States and Canada after the 30 are closed.

Tilgham said Staples might be able to achieve the 15% square footage reduction by shifting from large stores to small stores, rather than closing a number of stores outright.

"It doesn't really change the staffing too much, it doesn't really change the store offering too much, but it considerably reduces overhead," he said, noting that less inventory space is needed as the size of computers and other office machines have shrunk over the years.

Staples, which has a presence in 26 countries, also said it plans to shutter 45 stores in Europe by the end of the year, according to an internal letter obtained by Fortune's Dan Primack. The letter said the company was "accelerating" its closure of 15 U.S. stores, as part of the overall30-store net reduction.